RUNNING On Waves

One of the world’s largest sailing yachts, the 42-passenger Running on Waves is a tall ship built with classic proportions and modern technology. It was built by the Polish superyacht yard Segel Masten Yachten and launched in 2011.

This luxury mega-yacht is a three-mast sailing vessel with barquentine-type rigging — the foremast is square-rigged while the remainder are fore-and-aft, the triangular-shaped sails that are more typical of a yacht.

It’s this barquentine feature that gives it a distinctive silhouette while allowing for frequent course changes.

At almost 70 meters in length, she is slightly larger than a tea clipper, and boasts quite a bit of open deck space — 15 meters per passenger, which is a true luxury of space. The ship’s shallow draft lets her call at small marinas, visiting more remote and less touristy destinations.

Running on Waves sails scheduled cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, and other times is available for private charter.

Charters make up about 50% of overall business (especially prevalent in peak season months of July and August), and commonly revolve around a private event, like a birthday, wedding, anniversary, family reunion or bachelor party. Running on Waves is also used for corporate groups, as an incentive award for top management, and for affinity groups and clubs, for instance for divers or golfers.

FLEET

Running on Waves (built 2011 & 42 passengers) — Eastern Mediterranean & Adriatic Seas. A rich selection of photos appears below.

Passenger Profile

Well-heeled and international-minded yachting enthusiasts and the sailing-curious.

Price

Expensive: $$

Included Features

Onboard meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner
24-hour coffee, tea & water
Use of kayaks, windsurf boards & snorkel equipment
Internet (300 MB per person per day)

Itineraries

Scheduled cruises typically run for 7 nights, with itineraries that focus on Aegean destinations like Greek coastal villages and islands, the Balkan Peninsula, and ports in the Adriatic Sea.

Many stops (ok, not Santorini!) are far from the madding crowds as the ship can maneuver in smaller ports.

Sample itinerary

The Golf & Sail Greece cruise runs a couple of times each autumn. This 7-night journey begins at Athens’ port of Pireaus, sailing first for Nafplion, then Monemvasia and Pylos (for two days at Greek golf club Costa Navarino), then Kythera and finally Agios Nikolaos on Crete. The ship also offers this same voyage in return.

Here’s a look at the golf cruises in a promotional video from the company, below:

Why Go?

Go for the sheer joy of sailing aboard a tall ship, powered mostly by the wind. The crew offer tours and some hands-on activities that can make getting there even more fascinating than the destinations themselves.

When to Go?

Scheduled cruises maximize the best weather in the region, from May until October.

Sustainability Initiatives

As the ship is mainly powered by wind, typically about 70% of the time, there’s a sustainability element inherent in every trip. The line says, fuel consumption is 10 times lower than that of comparable-sized ships.

Activities & Entertainment

In small ports or large, minimal group sizes means that passengers can tour off-the-beaten track places, like privately-owned wineries, factories that make cheeses or oil, or historical and cultural sites that can’t accommodate throngs.

From the ship’s stern marine platform, passengers can swim, snorkel, windsurf and kayak. Other watersports on offer include wakeboarding, water skiing, deep-sea fishing, and rides on mini-bananas or underwater scooters.

On board there’s a menu of maritime-themed activities such as bridge and engine tours, plus things like knots tying, mast climbing, sail setting and celestial navigation.

They also have yoga, Zumba, culinary classes and wine tasting, cultural lessons and massages on deck (chargeable).

In the evenings there’s karaoke, dancing, movies and sometimes local folk entertainers are brought on board for a performance.

SHIP

Running on Waves
The tall ship has three decks (with staircase access only) accommodating 42 passengers with lots of open deck space and public and private rooms decorated with natural elements such as hardwoods and touches of nautical décor.

Dining

The main restaurant seats all passengers at one sitting, however, meals can also be taken in a dinning area on the open deck.

Four meals a day include breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, prepared in Mediterranean style with Greek influences. Chefs focus on fresh seasonal produce and seafood — from shrimps and prawns, to mussels, octopus, calamari, and an array of fresh fish — with plenty of local delicacies, accompanied by wine. Special dietary requirements can be accommodated with advanced notice.

Public Rooms

There are four lounge and bar areas, including the terrace lounge, which is open in the mornings for yoga.

Another outdoor lounge is the go-to spot for cigar and nargile (Turkish pipe) appreciation.

There’s also an observation deck with terrific views located just above the bowsprit.

The sun deck has plenty of lounge chairs and both open and shaded areas, plus a hot tub.

Running on Waves also has a hydraulic marine ramp from which passengers can swim and have fun with onboard water sports equipment.

Cabins

Cabins on the Main Deck are larger, from between 172 and 215 sq. ft., and have double beds. These cabins open to the side promenades and have small windows and seating areas. Cabins on the Tween Deck measure 118 to 129 sq. ft. — some with double beds, some with twin beds — and have two portholes each for views.

In cabin: en suite, TV, phone, refrigerator.

Here’s an overview of the Running on Waves experience, below:

Along the Same Lines

Tall ship aficionados will find a wide variety of global itineraries offered from lines such as Star Clippers, Island Windjammers and Tradewind Voyages.

Contact

Running on Waves; www.running-on-waves.com

Nicosia, Cyprus; +35 72 50 30 345
US & Canada; +1 (888) 343-0943
For cruises: sales@88parsec.com
For charters: charter@88parsec.com
Contacts for booking offices around the world are on the website.